DPP:: three

A little Christmas decorating...  

We don't have a lotta room for Christmas decor or a tree.

DPP:: two

The perfect holiday scent with no temptations! From my sweet friend, Lori!

DPP:: one

I love Fall in Texas! Flip flops and shorts!

December Photo Project

I've found a fun challenge for December! I'm looking forward to being more aware of my new world! 

Coconut oil...

I first read about coconut oil 4-5 years ago and became very intrigued. I don't remember what directed me to it, but once I started reading about the uses and benefits of coconut oil, I knew it was something I needed to use and consume! I've always loved the flavor and scent of coconut... here's some of the ways I use it.

Homemade deodorant

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
4 Tblsp. coconut oil
10 drops of essential oils

This time I only had about 1/8 cup of arrowroot powder so I adjusted the recipe by half.
 

Ingredients

I experimented with scent using a combo of these essential oils

Mixing it up

Finished product

I just scoop it out with my fingers and rub it on. The deodorant gets really hard in cold weather, but it melts really quickly once you put your fingers on your underarm skin. I initially tried this in the winter in Central Texas... and knew the real test would be in the summer. I went thru a Texas summer of 100 days of 100+ degrees and it worked very well! It's not an antiperspirant so it won't keep you from sweating... just from stinking!

Moisturizer for my face and body 

- I keep a small jar in the bathroom.

Sunburn soother 

Hair conditioner 

Homemade soap

 

In the kitchen...

add to smoothies

in sauteeing and roasting (especially good with sweet potatoes)

for popping corn

in baking

in coffee (an easy way to get some in; it gives coffee a hint of coconut)

There are many benefits to using and taking in coconut oil. If you google it, you will find many articles on it. Here's one to start with... Health Benefits of Coconut Oil.

Slowin' down...

We are back HOME! We made quick tracks and arrived in the Austin area the day after Thanksgiving. My sweet mom saved us some turkey leftovers and we heated them up just a few short minutes after arriving at their house! We tried to find an RV park but none of them had open spots until today!

So we enjoyed a relaxing weekend at my parents house. They live in a rural area and have a very long driveway so we were able to park the rig and truck there... and sleep in the house! Our youngest son came over on Saturday and spent all afternoon and evening with us... working a bit and watching football. We also got to skype with these two cuties! We haven't had good enough wifi to skype with them on the road, so it was fun catching up with them!

Today we arrived at an RV park in East Central Austin that is just our style. And the biggest surprise... Green Gate Farms is right across the street! I volunteered at Johnson's Backyard Garden a couple of years ago and loved it and the veggies I got "paid" with. We are hoping to do a bit of volunteering at Green Gate Farms as well!

Nothing has felt more right than pulling into the Austin area. Except when we moved here from Colorado. =) I think we've slowly realized how stressful the towing part was for both of us. David never was fully confident and then after the blow out, that confidence was at an all-time low. I wasn't comfortable knowing he wasn't. The best part about that was we did a lot of praying!

We've had one meal out of Tex Mex food... and it was SO GOOD! We've enjoyed my mom's cooking as well! We have a long list of places we want to go to, but keep reminding ourselves we don't have to do it all in a week's time!

We are settling in and excited to see what we get to do next!

Happy Thanksgiving!